A Quest for Joy

Bulgarian pianist Miryana Moteva maintains a versatile career as a soloist, chamber musician, and educator. She has recently appeared with Linden Hills Chamber Orchestra and Buffalo Community Orchestra, and this season she makes her debut with Golden Valley Orchestra performing Sergei Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 1.

Moteva collaborates regularly with members of the Minnesota Orchestra, Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra and Minnesota Opera in concerts across the US. She has performed at Schubert Club’s ‘Courtroom Concerts’ in Saint Paul, the ‘Bulgarian Concert Evenings’ in New York City, New Jersey’s ‘Mozaika’ Music Series, MacPhail Center for Music’s ‘Spotlight’ Series, University of Minnesota’s ‘Balkanicus’ Series, Hamline University’s ‘Music and Arts’ Series, University of Saint Thomas’ ‘Chapel Arts’ Series, University of Wisconsin, the Basilica of Saint Mary, and the Fitzgerald Theater, among others. She has concertized with the Isles Ensemble and the 10th Wave Music Collective. Her performances have been featured on Classical Minnesota Public Radio and National Public Radio’s Program From the Top. Moteva plays Clara Schumann at Schubert Club’s new transportive media exhibit ‘Letters Alive: Composers Words Behind the Music.’

A strong advocate for contemporary music, Moteva has dedicated a significant part of her career to commissioning and performing works by living composers. Recent highlights include the Midwest premiere of Clarice Assad’s Piano Concerto ‘Lilith,’ Lora Al-Ahmad’s Piano Trio ‘Irminden,’ Angel Nikolov’s Flute Trio ‘Deadlock’ and the commission of Marc Migó’s Sonata for Violin and Piano ‘Death and Spring.’ The latter received critical acclaim at its Schubert Club premiere in April 2023, which led to an invitation for a Catalan Music CD recording on Spain’s IBS Classical Label and a recital tour of Catalonia. During the 2024-2025 season, Moteva received a grant through MacPhail Center for Music to curate ‘Mysticism, Legends and Traditions,’ a concert featuring piano trios by living composers.

Moteva has appeared at international festivals including ‘March Music Days’ and ‘Music and Earth’ in Bulgaria, as well as ‘San Daniele International Piano Meeting’ in Italy, where she was awarded the audience prize for best performance of a Classical sonata. In 2010, she was also a finalist in the Schubert Club Bruce P. Carlson Scholarship Competition. Currently, Moteva is on the faculty of MacPhail Center for Music, where she serves as a full-time collaborative pianist and maintains a thriving studio as a teaching artist. She is an active board member of the Music Education Committee at the Schubert Club in Saint Paul.

Moteva holds Bachelor and Master of Music degrees in Piano Performance and a Doctorate in Collaborative Piano from the University of Minnesota. Her principal teachers include Emma Tahmizian, Lydia Artymiw, and Timothy Lovelace.